Government Terms Federal Bureaucracy & Fiscal Policy

Attorney General

The principal legal officer who represents a country or a state in legal proceedings and gives legal advice to the government.

Senate Finance Committee

The Senate committee that, along with the House Ways and Means Committee, writes the tax codes, subject to approval of Congress as a whole.

Munn VS Illinois

The Supreme Court case that established that the government can regulate private industries.

Policy Implementation

The stage of policymaking between the establishment of a policy and the consequences of the policy for whom it affects.

Administrative Discretion

The authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem. Discretion is greatest when routines, or standard operating procedures, do not fit a case.

Incrementalism

The belief that the best predictor of this year's budget is last years budget plus a little bit more (increment).

Federal Reserve

The central bank of the United States that was created by the Supreme court case McCulloch VS Maryland

Sixteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1913 that permitted Congress to levy an income tax.

Department of Treasury

The department of the U.S. federal government that collects revenue and administers the national finances.

Federal Reserve Board

The governing body of the Federal Reserve System. The seven members of the board of governors are appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Independent Executive Agencies

The government not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations. They are appointed by the president.

Merit system

The idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.

Fiscal Policy

The policy that describes the impact of the federal budget-taxes, spending, and borrowing-on the economy. It is almost entirely determined by Congress and the president, who are budget makers.

Impoundment

A presidential refusal to spend money appropriated by Congress

Patronage

One of the key inducements used by political machines, A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than merit,

Medicare

A program added to the Social Security system in 1965 that provides hospitalization insurance for the elderly and permits older Americans to purchase inexpensive coverage for doctor fees and other expenses.

Tax Expenditures

Revenue losses attributable to provisions of the federal tax laws which allow exemption, exclusion, or deduction.

Weber Model

1.Heirarchy 2. Task specialization 3. Merit Based 4. Impartiality 5. a culture of rules

Pendleton Act

1883-established the merit based system.

Hatch Act

1939-established that no employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president and vice-president, from engaging in partisan political activity.

Congress Budget and Impoundment Act

1974-An act designed to reform the congressional budgetary process. Its supporters hoped that it would also make Congress less dependent on the president's budget and better able to set and meet its own goals.

Social Security Act

A 1935law passed during the Great Depression that was intended to provide a minimal level of sustenance to older Americans and thus save them from poverty.

Government Corporation

A corporation set up by the government to regulate transactions and oversee agency's use of budget.

Independent Regulatory Agency

A government agency responsible for some sector of the economy, making and enforcing rules supposedly to protect the public interest.

Authorization bill

A law that establishes or continues one or more federal programs and terms under which they operate.

Civil Servants

A member of the civil service/ a government official

Issue Network

A policy making alliance that comes together only for a particular issue.

Budget Resolution

A resolution binding Congress to a total expenditure level, supposedly the bottom line of all federal spending for all programs.

Regressive Tax

A tax in which burden falls relatively more heavily on low-income groups than on wealthy tax-payers.

Flat Tax

A tax system with a constant tax rate for all tax-payers.

Sequestration

A term adopted by Congress to describe a fiscal policy process that automatically decreases federal budget across most agencies and departments

Federal Debt

All the money borrowed by the federal government over the years and is still outstanding.

Appropriation Bill

An act of Congress that actually funds programs within limits established by authorization bills. Appropriations usually cover one year.

CEA

Council of Economic Advisors-an agency within the Executive Office of the President that advises the president on economic policy.

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency-an agency of the United States federal government whose mission is to protect human and environmental health.

Standard Operating Procedures

Established procedure to be followed in carrying out a given operation or in a given situation.

Uncontrollable Expenditures

Expenditures that are determined not by a fixed amount of money appropriated by Congress, but by how many eligible beneficiaries there are for some particular program of by previous obligations of the government.

FCC

Federal Communications Commission-regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, cable, etc.

Cabinet Departments

Includes fifteen departments: Departments of state, treasury, defense, justice, interior, agriculture, commerce, labor, health and human services, housing and urban development, transportation, energy, education, veterans affairs, and homeland security.

NSC

National Security Council-advises the president on foreign and national security and supervises the CIA.

OMB

Office of Management and Budget-advises president on budget and monetary policy

Entitlements

Policies for which expenditures are uncontrollable because Congress has in effect obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients.

SEC

Security and Exchange Commission-a government commission created by Congress to regulate the securities markets and protect investors. In addition to regulation and protection, it also monitors the corporate takeovers in the U.S.

Income Tax

Shares of individual wages and corporate revenues collected by the government. The 16th amendment allowed for income tax.

FEMA

The Federal Emergency Management Agency-the federal agency responsible for coordinating emergency planning, preparedness, risk reduction, response, and recovery

House Ways and Means Committee

The HOR committee that reviews all bills (except revenue, budget, and appropriations bills) coming from a HOR committee before they go to the full house.

Structure of the bureaucracy

There are 15 cabinet departments and umbrella agencies and departments. There are also independent executive and regulatory agencies. Finally, there are several government corporations.

Continuing Resolution

When Congress cannot reach agreement and pass appropriations bills, these resolutions allow agencies to spend at the level of the previous year.

Iron Triangles

a three-sided, mutually advantageous relationship between members of Congressional Committees, Bureaucrats, and interest groups. Most of the Congressional Committees and Subcommittees have relationships with the agencies whose programs they authorize and appropriate money for. The committees and the bureaucrats from the agencies have close relationships with interest groups that want to influence policy.